{"id":1019,"date":"2011-12-14T11:37:38","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T16:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=1019"},"modified":"2011-12-14T21:42:30","modified_gmt":"2011-12-15T02:42:30","slug":"issue-280-december-14-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2011\/12\/issue-280-december-14-2011\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 280 &#8211; December 14, 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule No. 45<\/span><\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>The question, \u201cWill you promise not to get mad when I tell you something?\u201d is a guarantee that you will.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Well folks, you&#8217;ve figured out pretty fast that I&#8217;m <em>not <\/em>in Scotland and don&#8217;t need any money!\u00a0 Yup, I got hit&#8211; My regular email account was hacked, and made a real mess of things, including the loss of a bunch of questions from you all!\u00a0 So I&#8217;ve set up an alternate address: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"mailto:andymccommish@yahoo.com\" target=\"_blank\">andymccommish@yahoo.com<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Since I respond personally to every message I receive, if you&#8217;ve written to me and haven&#8217;t received a direct answer, it means your message was erased when the account was hacked. \u00a0So please take a moment to re-send it to me, using the new address.\u00a0 This way, you&#8217;ll get your answer fast as I can read it, do the research, and get back to you.\u00a0 Thanks for tolerating this nonsense and a pox on those sheepdip hackers!<\/strong><\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m a newly elected Senior Patrol Leader. \u00a0My troop used to allow more than one Assistant SPL to help the Senior Patrol Leader keep meetings organized\u2014we have over 50 Scouts in our troop. \u00a0I\u2019m wondering if it\u2019s against BSA rules to have more than one ASPL. Thanks a lot! (Michael, Suffolk County Council, NY) <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As Senior Patrol Leader, your contacts for keeping order are your Patrol Leaders&#8230; You work through them&#8211;never directly with the Scouts themselves.\u00a0 ASPLs aren&#8217;t there to &#8220;help&#8221; you with this\u2014they have other responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>This can only work if your troop is following The Patrol Method, with consistent patrols and elected Patrol Leaders, who are the Patrol Leaders Council that you&#8217;re in charge of.\u00a0 Does your troop follow The Patrol Method, or is something else going on?\u00a0 Tell me a little more, and I&#8217;ll do my best to help you out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Yes, my troop does use the Patrol Leader method. As extra support I\u2019d like to have more than one ASPL. (Michael)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t need an ASPL to help you; you need Patrol Leaders who can control their patrol members.\u00a0 Here\u2019s how: At a PLC meeting, teach your Patrol Leaders &#8220;Scout Silent Signals&#8221; (use any search engine to find these) and have them, in turn, teach their patrol members during &#8220;patrol corners at your next troop meeting.\u00a0 Then, start using them.\u00a0 With a troop of about 50, you\u2019ll instantly have 6 to 8 &#8220;assistants&#8221; who now have another tool in their \u201cpatrol manager\u2019s kit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s another tip: Always use the Scout sign <em>silently<\/em>. No matter what, resist the temptation to shout &#8220;Sign&#8217;s up!&#8221; and talk to any Scout or other person who does this.\u00a0 \u00a0Make this one change and your &#8220;management technique&#8221; will change overnight!\u00a0 Overlook this, and you&#8217;ll continue to have chaos and disregard for your position.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>If a Scout can have his Eagle board of review up to three months after his 18th birthday, what does he need to complete by that birthday? His Scoutmaster conference? (Julie Abcede, MC &amp; MBC, Aloha Council, HI)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A Scout must have all <em>requirements<\/em> completed before his 18th birthday.\u00a0 The Scoutmaster conference is a requirement, so that\u2019s why the deadline applies.\u00a0 The board of review is necessary to complete the rank advancement process, but isn\u2019t a &#8220;requirement,&#8221; from a technical point-of-view.\u00a0 That\u2019s why a board of review can take place on or after a Scout&#8217;s 18th birthday.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019m wondering about a local Scouting unit filing for 501(c)(3) status. \u00a0Can or should it be done? \u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m asking because our unit was offered a chance to enroll in a corporate donation program, and to do this they need our FEIN or 501(c)(3) number.\u00a0 Wee don&#8217;t have one and we can\u2019t use our chartered organization\u2019s number, so should we file for our own? I&#8217;ve looked around and seen some sites that say it\u2019s OK and others that say it\u2019s illegal. \u00a0We don&#8217;t want to miss out on this opportunity. \u00a0What can we do? \u00a0(Joe Panetta, Greater New York Council, Queens, NY)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your unit shouldn&#8217;t have to file for a 501(c)(3) for two reasons.\u00a0 First, your chartered organization is likely to already have such status and since they own unit their status and number are your &#8220;umbrella.&#8221;\u00a0 So your first step is to go to them and ask for the number\u2014there\u2019s no reason they should refuse.\u00a0 But if your chartered organization doesn&#8217;t have such status, then you revert to your BSA council&#8217;s 501(c)(3) status and number.\u00a0 Try the first option again (with the &#8220;umbrella&#8221; explanation) and, failing this attempt, contact your council&#8217;s CFO.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>About four years ago, our pack had a Webelos Den Leader who pushed her den to cram in all the Webelos &amp; Arrow of Light requirements into a single year, with the hidden agenda that she wanted her own son to transition over to a troop at as young an age as allowable. \u00a0As a result, most of the boys were old enough to transition, but there were two who had earned Arrow of Light but still weren\u2019t old enough to be Boy Scouts.\u00a0 They were simply dumped by that Den Leader: No den; no leader.\u00a0 Heartbroken, they stuck around for a little but ultimately just dropped out of Scouting and never went on.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Realizing the extent to which the fundamental integrity of the Cub Scouting program had been compromised, to say nothing of the atmosphere of deception and disunity, three years ago our pack committee reaffirmed that \u201cfast-tracking\u201d like this would not be permitted.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We thought we\u2019d be keeping this problem from ever arising again, but we were wrong.\u00a0 We\u2019re now facing this all over again.\u00a0 One of our Webelos Den Leader (he\u2019s also a Scoutmaster, which is significant to the problem) want to repeat the same scenario, for the same reason: He wants his own son to become a Boy Scout and join his troop as young as possible (ostensibly so that his son has \u201cenough time\u201d to make it to Eagle rank).\u00a0\u00a0 Like the first time this happened, this man is working behind the pack committee\u2019s back by secretly promoting and then managing an intense Webelos\/Arrow of Light program so that the entire den will complete everything by the end of fourth grade.\u00a0 He knows our pack\u2019s stance on this, but has disregarded it.\u00a0 On the side, he\u2019s also urging the parents of all older boys who aren\u2019t in his den to transfer their sons into his troop at the end of fourth grade so they can attend Scout camp that summer, which will keep them from &#8220;falling behind&#8221; and being \u201cat a disadvantage&#8221; compared to their early-graduating den-mates.\u00a0 He\u2019s now telling all Webelos parents that if they wait until the normal February Blue &amp; Gold and cross over with their younger den mates then, they\u2019ll be jeopardizing their son&#8217;s chances of making it to Eagle rank!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Topping this off, both our pack\u2019s and the troop\u2019s Committee Chairs (they\u2019re sons are in this Scoutmaster\u2019s den) have been \u201csold\u201d on doing this and are going along with it.\u00a0 Meanwhile, the parents with younger Webelos boys are wondering why their sons are being rushed through the program, not realizing that their sons\u2019 den friends are planning on leaving them behind while they move on to Boy Scouts to &#8220;get ahead.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>This past August, we discovered that many of our first-year Webelos Scouts\u2014who should be starting their second year and final six months\u2014had already transferred to a troop.\u00a0 Several of us parents we spoke out against this and reminded both the Den Leader and the pack committee and chair about the policy the pack had established, but their retort was that a pack can\u2019t make a policy on this because the BSA allows boys who are age 10-1\/2 and have earned their Arrow of Light to become Boy Scouts. \u00a0 We agreed that individual parents can choose to transfer their own son early, if they wish; however, we do have the right to determine the type of Webelos program that we want to our pack and its leaders to deliver. \u00a0We\u2019re asking our Webelos Den Leaders to deliver the BSA\u2019s \u201c18-Month Webelos Program\u201d as written because it benefits all the boys in the den; not just the older ones.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>But the Webelos Den Leaders (particularly the Scoutmaster) became extremely angry when we raised this issue, because they\u2019ve been actively campaigning against the 18-month program and have now brought in our Chartered Organization Representative into the picture.\u00a0 Luckily, he sided with the core group of us who want to stick to the Webelos program as written, but this made the others even more angry, and they went directly to the chartered organization itself.\u00a0 As a result of that, our Chartered Organization Representative was removed; replaced by a man who is also the troop\u2019s Committee Chair (and whose son is being fast-tracked with his support).\u00a0 We\u2019ve tried to get someone from our council&#8217;s office to help, but we\u2019ve not had much support from that direction, and we currently don\u2019t have a Unit Commissioner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019re having a pack leader meeting to discuss this issue, and it\u2019s come out that the executive officer of our chartered organization is \u201con the other side,\u201d as well, and intends to tell us how the pack will be run (i.e., \u201ctheir\u201d way).\u00a0 Do you have any idea at all on how we\u2014or I\u2014should handle this? (Exasperated Cub Scout volunteer, Orange County Council, CA)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Advice leading to a happy ending is tough in the situation you&#8217;ve described.\u00a0 These renegades are not only displaying idiocy themselves; they&#8217;re apparently causing idiocy in others as well.\u00a0 Your council&#8217;s professionals are pretty much up a creek when it comes to &#8220;policing&#8221; such situations, because the chartered organization actually owns the unit\u2014not the council.\u00a0 Yes, a Unit Commissioner might help, and it&#8217;s definitely worth calling the District Commissioner to ask if someone might be assigned to the pack, but\u2014let&#8217;s face it\u2014personally, I&#8217;d rather be Daniel walking into the proverbial lion&#8217;s den than have to deal with this motley array of misguided folks.<\/p>\n<p>Of course they&#8217;re wrong, and of course they know it.\u00a0 They&#8217;re misusing the Webelos Scouts to satisfy their own needs for achieving a false goal.\u00a0 Becoming a Boy Scout at the age they&#8217;re targeting is no more assurance of earning Eagle rank than firing a rocket to the moon at twice the normal speed&#8230; It&#8217;s the accuracy of the journey, not the speed, that matters.\u00a0 But this will fall on ears as sensitive to boys&#8217; needs as Van Gogh&#8217;s to music.<\/p>\n<p>The only realistic advice I can offer with any hope of success is for you to find another pack and troop, where they get it right, and transfer your son and his friends as rapidly as you&#8217;re able.<\/p>\n<p>I wish I could wave a magic wand and with a poof that misguided gang would all disappear, but that&#8217;s just not going to happen unless a group of parents more numerous than these renegades bands together to demand that they set things right.\u00a0 A corrupted organization can be de-loused only one of two ways: From the top, or by storming the walls with overwhelming forces.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Hi Andy, <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Should a unit\u2019s treasurer be a registered BSA member, such as a committee member? (<\/strong><strong>Alice Wilson)<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Without hesitation or doubt, the person a unit&#8217;s entrusting fiduciary responsibility to should be a registered member of that unit.\u00a0 Registering as a BSA Adult Volunteer in the position of committee member (Code: MC) is definitely in order here.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s my understanding that &#8220;legend&#8221; patches, autographs, beaded sashes, and just about anything else other than the classic white-with-red-embroidered-arrow isn\u2019t allowed.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve also heard that there are two exceptions: The \u201clegend\u201d strip can be worn by members of a ceremony team, at ceremonies, and the 50<sup>th<\/sup> and 60<sup>th<\/sup> Anniversary service patches are allowed to be worn on the sash.\u00a0 I\u2019ve also been told by a source claiming to be knowledgeable about this stuff that only one of the two anniversary service patches can be worn at a time, but then another equally knowledgeable source told me that if you\u2019ve earned both, you can wear\u00a0both.\u00a0 Who do I believe here? (Robert Achibis)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Everything I&#8217;ve ever read says no embellishments to an OA sash except for the anniversary patches\u2014ceremonial team or not (i.e., no exceptions).\u00a0 If your &#8220;knowledgeable sources&#8221; can show you, in BSA writing, where it says whatever they\u2019re claiming, ask them to forward it on to me and I&#8217;ll be happy to publish it.\u00a0 Otherwise, follow the rules in the <em>OA HANDBOOK<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>By the way, those sashes you see being worn by folks at courts of honor\u2026 Big hiccup\u2026 The sashes are only worn when at an OA function or when representing the OA, which is not the typical situation at a unit court of honor.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>We have an Assistant Scoutmaster who, despite claiming to \u201calways follow BSA policies and rules,\u201d doesn\u2019t.\u00a0 Just recently, he took it upon himself to \u201cescort\u201d several of our Scouts (two of whom were his own) on a Eagle project that required the use of watercraft.\u00a0 Later conversations with the Scouts revealed that not one of the Scouts or this ASM wore a PFD (personal flotation device\u2014a \u201cMae West\u201d as they used to be called) while on the water.\u00a0 While two of the Scouts were First Class rank and therefore had passed the BSA Swim Test, the third Scout hadn\u2019t and his swimming ability is unknown and unproven.\u00a0 This ASM claims to have attended National Camp School for Aquatics, and he also holds a significant district-level chairmanship, so one would expect that he\u2019d be a shining example of not only two-deep leadership but also safety afloat.\u00a0 But that\u2019s simply not the case here.\u00a0 I\u2019m his Scoutmaster, yet he refuses to take any guidance from me; nor will he accept any from both our committee chair and our chartered organization representative.\u00a0 What can or should we do? (Puzzled &amp; Frustrated)<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When a unit volunteer continues to violate BSA policies, especially in ways that place Scouts in harm&#8217;s way, and refuses to modify his actions in the face of suggestions and requests that he do so, the chartered organization has just one option remaining: Offer to accept his resignation or, if he is reluctant to resign, remove him. Waste no time.<\/p>\n<p>Understand: Regardless of whatever other volunteer positions in Scouting he may hold, removal by the chartered organization head, or chartered organization representative in concern with the committee chair, is permanent and irreversible by anyone save the chartered organization itself.<\/p>\n<p>(If he threatens to pull his own Scouts from the troop, then you know for sure you&#8217;ve made the correct decision: He\u2019s a renegade and a bully both.)<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Can one activity be used for two different merit badges? \u00a0For example: A visit and discussion with a dentist is required for both Personal Fitness and Dentistry merit badges, so could one conversation with a dentist be used to meet both of the requirements? (Scout Dad, Great Smoky Council, TN)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the specific case of the example you chose, so long as the subject matter of each of the two separate requirements is covered, there&#8217;s no reason why both requirements can&#8217;t be met in a single visit&#8230; with a willing dentist and an attentive Scout, of course!\u00a0 That said, it needs to be further noted that most requirements that appear similar and might be thought to be compatibly combined into a one-off aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I have a Cub Scout who\u2019s interested in earning the God and Me religious emblem. I know there\u2019s a workbook for this, but I want to know what the program entails. \u00a0This way, I want to give my rector a heads-up on the commitment time and make sure the boy is indeed ready to attempt it. (Elizabeth Greene)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your best bet will be to go to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.praypub.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.praypub.org<\/a>, where you can find the appropriate workbook to order and also a phone number for more detailed information.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<hr align=\"center\" size=\"2\" width=\"100%\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Hi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve been asking around our local and regional BSA offices to find out if there are any movies, videos, or DVDs\u00a0from past Jamborees, High Adventure camps, etc. available for borrowing or renting, that I can use to show our local Scouting parents. Although I can talk about these subjects based on my own experiences as a Scout in the 70\u2019s, a DVD is worth a thousand words and would be a great asset to these presentations.\u00a0 (My son and I watch \u201cScouting for Adventure\u201d together, and we promote the show frequently, but to purchase past episodes costs money that I\u2019ve yet been able to convince anyone to spend.)\u00a0 (Patrick Pittarelli, CR, Los Padres Council, CA)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The folks at Boy&#8217;s Life magazine (<a href=\"http:\/\/boyslife.org\/home\/bl-store\/14754\/boys-life-souvenir-jamboree-dvd-order-form\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/boyslife.org\/home\/bl-store\/14754\/boys-life-souvenir-jamboree-dvd-order-form\/<\/a>) have DVDs for sale at $15.95 each.\u00a0 Maybe you can convince your council folks to buy a few copies?\u00a0 If not, do remember that, as a volunteer, this is a tax-deductible item if you buy one for yourself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>HappY ScOuTing!<\/strong><\/p>\n<form>\n<h3>Andy<\/h3>\n<p>(No. 280 &#8211; 12\/14\/2011 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2011)<\/p>\n<\/form>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rule No. 45: The question, \u201cWill you promise not to get mad when I tell you something?\u201d is a guarantee that you will. Well folks, you&#8217;ve figured out pretty fast that I&#8217;m not in Scotland and don&#8217;t need any money!\u00a0 Yup, I got hit&#8211; My regular email account was hacked, and made a real mess [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1019"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1019\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1022,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1019\/revisions\/1022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}